Buhari on Senior Citizen Welfare

Awareness

There may be questions as to how much of an issue senior citizen welfare really is, after all 70% of the population is under 30 and only a fraction of the remaining 30% will ever make it to the age of 70. That said, the issue is one of importance in the civil service and other forms of corporate employment and is important to the families of such people. In an atmosphere of rampant youth unemployment, family income becomes more important. And taken in this context there is a potential problem of the burden of retired or unproductive people with no income in already strained households. The manifesto doesn’t do much to explain this reality but it does implicitly highlight some of the problems including the slow or non-payment of retirement packages.

Ambition

There is no new policy that is put forward in this section; rather it reiterates a commitment to ensure that the existing pension system is carried out properly with an emphasis placed on the process of review of the process to ensure that the standard of living of pensioners is maintained.

It could have gone further perhaps to include a mandatory state pension as part of a taxation system for all adults or even by changing the retirement age.

Detail

There is little detail here, but that is because there doesn’t really need to be much detail given. As already mentioned there is no new policy being put in place

My View

Nigeria has a very young population, most of who are not thinking about their pensions let alone inclined to vote on those grounds, so it seems like an odd choice from a political standpoint. That said though, life expectancy will continue to improve for the average Nigerian over the next few decades, so in a sense there is a pension crisis looming at some point in the future. The problem now is simply one of mismanagement though, with pension funds of workers both in the private and public sector going missing. The solution in my opinion is that people should be encouraged to save but they shouldn’t be forced to take out a pension with an unreliable system, people aren’t stupid and if at any point a state (or even private) insurance/pension scheme becomes viable people will take it out. This issue of pensions however, raises other questions of retirement age? In a nation where the average life expectancy is 48 years, 70% of the population is under 30 and the median age is 19 is there not a strong argument for lowering the retirement age?

Score (Out of 5)

Awareness: 2.5

Ambition: 1.0

Detail: 2.5

My View: 2.75

Ribadu on Social Security

Awareness
This section of the plan notes the failure of social security programmes in Nigeria. It recognizes a need for both the public and private sector to be involved. On the other hand, it doesn't talk about the role of NGOs, charities and religious organizations. Also no mention is made of the need for taxation, although this may be implied by the policies put forwards

Ambition
The single policy explicitly stated - that of a the development of an identity management system - is so necessary for the fair calculation and collection of taxes as well as the fair calculation and distribution of the benefits of welfare programmes. It will take a huge logistical operation, maybe involving another census (With all the politics that entails) the digitalization of all records and the creation of future record systems, the completion of up to date and accurate maps and address systems amongst other things. In order to be done properly it will require a great deal of capital (including political capital) but if it is actually accomplished it will have a lasting legacy on the Nigerian state.

Detail
The manifesto gives us an idea of how it wants to solve the problem and gives as its first step the development of an identity management system and talks about reinvigorating the national identity management commission. However, beyond this there is no detail given, no time scale, no funding plan, no breakdown of what exactly is entailed in creating a 'secure and efficient' identity management system.

My View
Social security or the lack thereof in Nigeria exasperates the problems of poverty, of education, of crime and security and of low level corruption. That said, I think the reliance on oil money separates people from the state, in order for people to demand the level of social security/welfare needed, they need to have a vested interest in the state and the best way to do this is through taxation. Team Ribadu's failure to focus on taxation loses him points but the priority placed on the identity management system regains him some points, as this would be necessary for any proper taxation system.

Scores (Out of 5)
Awareness: 2.5
Ambition: 4.5
Detail: 3.0
My View: 3.25